Last Night
by Shelly00
Summary: A party. Too much high-grade. Unintended consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own these characters. The premise for this story came from a guest reviewer on my story titled _Someday_.**

* * *

Optimus Prime woke up with a massive headache. He noted that he was in his quarters, but without his armor, which was strange. He thought through the events of the previous evening. There had been a party, and his friends...his family... had convinced him to stay. Ratchet had encouraged him to relax and drink some high grade. After that, everything was fuzzy. He examined his surroundings as much as he could without moving his aching head, and discovered that the suspicious weight in his arms was...Arcee! She was also without her armor, sleeping peacefully with an arm wrapped around his waist. _What have I done?_

Arcee awoke from a pleasant dream to a splitting headache. She realized she was armorless, not in her quarters, and snuggled up to a mech. She looked up, directly into Optimus' optics. "Nope, still dreaming" she said as she laid her head back down and closed her optics.

"Just how often do you dream of waking up armorless in my bed, Arcee?" He certainly thought of it often enough, but he had no idea that she felt the same. Somehow, he managed to keep the panic he was feeling out of his voice.

She was still half asleep, and the headache was affecting her thought processes as she said "More often than I'll ever tell the real you."

Optimus closed his optics. This….was not a situation he was equipped to handle. Should he wake her up? Let her sleep? Trying to move her was out of the question - he wasn't certain he could even stand. And about what she had just revealed, well, he couldn't even think about that right now. He fell into a light sleep as he tried to recall more of the events from the previous evening.

* * *

As the morning grew late and no one else woke up, Ratchet realized that everyone else on the base was experiencing what the humans called a "hangover." He walked down the hallway, using his medical override code to enter each set of quarters and leave painkillers on the nightstands. While he thought they deserved the consequences of overindulging, he needed them to be alert.

As he entered Optimus' quarters, he noticed that the room was a mess, which was unusual for the Prime. He approached the nightstand and stopped, staring in shock at Arcee, curled up around Optimus, both sleeping. As he stared, Optimus opened his optics. "What...how...why...Optimus, what did you do?"

"I….do not know. I had hoped you could help me determine that." He took the offered painkillers gratefully.

"You disappeared soon after the party started. I thought you had faked drinking the high-grade I gave you and then left for your quarters to work. I was happy you had at least put in an appearance at the party and pretended to enjoy it. It meant a lot to our human friends."

"Do you recall anything of what Arcee did last night?"

"She had some high-grade too - Smokescreen pressed her into it. She also left early. Jack couldn't find her when it was time to leave, and the others were in no shape to drive, so I groundbridged the kids home."

"You didn't think it strange that she couldn't be found?"

"I figured she was hiding, and probably also not in any shape to drive."

Arcee groaned, snuggled deeper against his side, and mumbled "I like this dream. Just wish I didn't hurt so much."

Ratchet activated his scanners. "She just has a headache. The painkillers will help when she wakes up," he paused, then looked up in alarm. "By the Allspark! Optimus, she's sparked!"

The two old friends stared at each other in shock for several moments. Optimus looked down at the femme in his arms, then back into the optics of his oldest friend on Earth. Ratchet couldn't recall him ever showing so much fear to anyone. He turned his scanners on the Prime. "You're bonded to her."

A long moment passed between the two friends. "Ratchet, you should….."

"I should go. Bring her straight to me once she wakes up, or call me and I will come back here. See that she takes these." He handed him some painkillers, then left quietly, locking the door behind him.

Optimus looked at Arcee, still sleeping peacefully. She was everything he had ever wanted, and bonding with her in the future was something he had hoped for. Now was not an ideal time for it though, and the sparkling was going to complicate things a lot. As he watched her sleep, he wondered about how she would react when she finally woke up. If her earlier mumblings were any indication, maybe she would be happy too. Too? Yes, he realized, he was happy with this outcome, although he did wish it had happened differently, and he hoped he hadn't forced himself on her.

Arcee stirred again. "Ugh, why does such a good dream have to be so painful?"

This time, he wasn't going to let her go back to sleep. "Arcee, you are not dreaming."

"Yes I am. I'm armorless and in your arms. I have to be dreaming." She resettled herself against his side.

"While I find it intriguing that you dream about this situation, it remains true that you are not currently dreaming. Here, take these." He tried to hand her the medicine.

As she sat up, he saw the realization dawn on her face. "I'm…not...dreaming. Scrap!" she started frantically trying to get up, but he held her still.

"Arcee, please, take these. It will help with the pain, and then we need to talk."

"Talk? Talk? About what? I don't even know how I got here. Do you know what happened last night?" She finally took the painkillers from him, but her voice was laced with panic.

"Only what Ratchet was able to tell me this morning, and what I've been able to observe. I don't remember much of anything after taking a drink of high-grade from him, and then coming here."

"That's...pretty much what I remember too. I was going to my quarters, but for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to stop and see you first." She calmed somewhat, looked around the room, and then back at him, noticing for the first time that he was armorless too. "Apparently, we had some fun after I got here." It appeared that some of her dreams had come true last night, and she was sad that she wouldn't be able to remember it. "I'm sorry, Optimus. I shouldn't have come here after drinking high-grade." She tried again to get up, but he still held her next to him.

"Arcee, you are not at fault. I was drinking high-grade as well." He paused, then looked into her optics. "There is more that you need to know. Ratchet scanned us when he brought the medicine by this morning." Another pause. "We are bonded, and you are sparked."

He watched as many different emotions flashed across her face. Her hand involuntarily clutched her chest, over her carrying chamber where their sparkling was growing. Her face finally settled into a mix of fear and panic, and she attempted to get up again. He caught her again, before she could run away. He pulled her into a hug, and she sobbed into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Optimus. I never meant to ruin your life."

"My life is far from ruined, Arcee. While this is not the method I would have chosen, if it weren't for the war, it would be pretty close to perfect."

She pulled away, looking into his optics and noticing the happiness for the first time. She struggled to understand what he meant, but came up empty. "What?"

"I've loved you for a long time, Arcee. I've wondered if you felt the same, but I didn't want to risk our friendship by trying to find out. I've often thought though, that once the war is over, I could find out. And maybe you would love me too." He smiled at her. "And based on what you've said while sleeping this morning, I think that maybe, you could."

She closed her optics briefly, thinking, then smiled at him. "I do love you. This isn't how I imagined telling you though."

"This isn't what I imagined either. But I believe we can make it work."

"Yes. Yes, we can." Then she surprised him by kissing him, running her hands lightly on his chest and trying to push him backwards onto the bed.

He stopped her hands with his. "Arcee, Ratchet wants to see you-"

"Later." she interrupted. "First I want to find out what I don't remember from last night."

He smiled as she kissed him again.

* * *

 **Um.  
** **Yeah.  
** **Not a premise I ever thought I'd write.  
** **A guest left an idea in a review of one of my other stories. I already knew what was happening in that story, and this wasn't it. But it demanded to be written. I think it came out ok, but I still like _Someday_ better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have swept, mopped, and vacuumed floors. And I need to write. So we'll just ignore the 5 loads of laundry that need to be folded.**  
 **I do not own these characters.**

* * *

Bulkhead was the first to make it to the command center late that morning. Ratchet immediately dispatched him to pick up the children. He arrived back just as Bumblebee and Smokescreen wandered in, looking very confused.

"I got the best videos of you guys last night!" exclaimed Miko as she jumped out.

"Where's Arcee?" asked Jack. "I couldn't find her last night."

"Haven't seen her since I convinced her to try the high-grade" said Smokescreen.

"What's high-grade?" wondered Raf.

"A different type of energon" answered Ratchet. "It has an effect on us similar to alcohol on a human."

"So you were all drunk last night? That's so cool! And it explains so much about these videos!" Miko scrolled through her phone. "I got nothing of Arcee though. Not Optimus either."

Arcee walked in, saw everyone gathered, and looked like she was going to turn around and run away. She was stopped by Ratchet. "Medbay. Now."

Jack narrowed his eyes as she simply nodded and went with Ratchet. That was unusual. He noticed that Optimus had also appeared, then followed Ratchet and closed the door. Jack was suspicious, so he climbed down and walked over to the medbay door, peering through the crack.

What he saw inside surprised him. His guardian sat on the berth, and Optimus knelt beside her. They were holding hands, and looking into each others optics with more love than Jack was aware could exist between any two beings.

He watched as Ratchet held a scanner to her chest, and the monitor showed a faint sparkbeat. He was pretty sure that wasn't where Arcee's spark was though, and her sparkbeat shouldn't be so faint

He noticed that both Arcee & Optimus were smiling, and he realized that he had never seen either of them actually smile before. They both looked so happy. His brain finally put all the clues together, and the answer he came up with shocked him. He must have made a noise, because all three occupants of the room suddenly looked at him.

"Jack" said Arcee. She looked at Optimus, and something silently passed between them.

"Ratchet, give us a few moments please," said Optimus.

"Of course." Ratchet walked past Jack and into the command center. Optimus lifted Jack onto the berth next to Arcee, looked into her optics once more, then left him alone with his guardian.

"So, um, you're...pregnant."

Arcee quickly checked the definition of that unfamiliar word. "Yes...the cybertronian term is 'sparked.'"

"I had no idea that you and Optimus….I mean, I knew you liked him, but…"

"We both had too much high-grade last night. It….wasn't intentional."

"I didn't even know you could have children. How…" He paused. "Wait, no, nevermind. I do not want to know how robot babies are made."

Arcee laughed, then looked down at him. "Jack, I know you've picked up on my feelings for Optimus in the time we've been partners. I love him, and I now know he loves me too. Neither of us remembers what happened last night - without the sparkling and the bond that now exists between us, we might have never known. We're going to make the best of it though."

"I'm happy for you. I've never seen you really smile before."

"There are going to have to be be some changes. Optimus is going to appoint Smokescreen as your guardian, once I reach the point that I can no longer transform."

Jack laughed. "I don't know if my mom will be happy that I'm no longer riding a motorcycle or mad that I'm bringing a sportscar home!" he looked up at her. "Congratulations, Arcee."

"Thanks, Jack"

"Can I tell Miko & Raf?"

"After Optimus and I speak with the others. But if Miko wants to know how robot babies are made, she's going to have to talk to Ratchet!" They both laughed as she lifted him down from the berth.

* * *

"Hey Arcee, is everything ok?" Smokescreen asked worriedly as she walked out the medbay. "I'm sorry if convincing you to drink high-grade last night caused any problems."

"Everything is going to be fine, Smokescreen," Arcee said as Optimus walked over to join her and the others in the command center. "There were just some unexpected consequences from last night." She looked up into Optimus' optics. They couldn't speak over the bond they shared, but they could sense each other's feelings.

"Neither Arcee nor I remember what occurred after we left the party yesterday evening." Optimus began. " But when we awoke this morning, we discovered that we are now bonded." He gave them a few moments to let that sink in. "And also, Arcee is sparked."

Dead silence.

Then, shouts of joy!

Smokescreen hugged Arcee, then quickly put her down, backed off, and said "Congratulations!"

Bumblebee hugged Optimus, and didn't let go nearly as quickly. "Yes, Bumblebee, of course you can hold and play with the sparkling." Optimus couldn't have stopped smiling if he had tried.

Bulkhead simply congratulated them both.

"Smokescreen," said Optimus, "When Arcee reaches the point that she can no longer transform, you'll temporarily take over guardianship of Jack."

"Of course, sir!" Smokescreen looked forward to spending more time with the humans.

* * *

"What was that about, Jack?" Raf asked, only halfway paying attention. Most of his focus was on his laptop.

"Arcee is 'sparked'...pregnant"

Dead silence.

Raf's laptop slipped off his lap. Fortunately, it landed harmlessly on the couch.

Miko squealed. "Really?! How does that even happen?"

"I don't know," said Jack, "and I don't want to know. Ask Ratchet."

"When did they…" Raf wasn't sure he even wanted to finish asking the question.

"Last night, when they were drunk. They don't remember anything, and they didn't plan it, but they're happy."

Raf and Miko looked over to where Arcee & Optimus had just finished telling the others. "You're right," said Raf. "I've never seen Optimus smile like that. Arcee either."

"What happens now?" wondered Miko. "Does anything change? Other than Arcee's quarters?"

"Smokescreen will become my guardian at some point. I'm not sure when. I'll need to prepare my mom though."

"I can't wait to see what a baby robot looks like!" exclaimed Miko. "It's going to be so cute!"


	3. Chapter 3

**I drove 162 miles today, 3 drop-offs, 3 pick-ups, 3 different parts of town in a very large city. At least the timing worked out so everyone got where they were going. I'm exhausted, and all I did was sit in a car! The good news is at each pick-up, I had to wait, so I got to type. I love my very portable little computer my husband gave me recently!**

 **Cody, Boulder, and Heatwave are characters on Transformers Rescue Bots. It's a cute show - check it out on Netflix if you haven't seen it. It's supposed to exist in the same continuity as Transformers Prime.**

 **I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

Arcee was going insane with what Jack referred to as "cabin fever." It had been 2 weeks since she was able to transform. Two weeks since she could go anywhere other than in or on top of the base. And she had several months to go before the sparkling was born. She wanted to be out there with the others, fighting cons, scouting for energon, driving Jack to and from school, anything other than sitting around feeling useless. She would do whatever it took to have a healthy sparkling though.

She knew that Optimus was trying to be understanding. Really, he was. But she didn't let him see how bad she was actually feeling. He had enough on his mind. She didn't want him blaming himself for how she was feeling.

She found herself on the roof often these days. It was the only place she could go to get fresh air. Not that she needed to breathe, but at least the sky was prettier to look at then the metal walls of the base.

Optimus always looked for Arcee when he returned from a mission. He did so to reassure himself that she was safe, and also to let her know that he was safe. He knew that she worried, even if she didn't say. And he noticed that she was spending a lot of time on the roof. As he returned today, he didn't even check their room. He went straight to the roof. Sure enough, there she was. He walked over the sit beside her.

He was surprised to see that she had been crying. "Arcee, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this." She looked away from him, down at the ground far below.

"Arcee, please, tell me why you're crying, so I can fix it. I love you." He tilted her chin so he could look into her optics, but she closed them.

"It's nothing, I promise. I'm just bored since I can't go anywhere anymore." She opened her optics and tried her best to smile at him, but he saw and felt that she was hiding how much it was truly affecting her to be restricted to the base.

He kissed her gently, wiping her tears away. "Tomorrow, we'll go somewhere else. Just us. I know somewhere safe."

"I don't want to take you away from -"

"Ratchet can handle the base, and Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Smokescreen can handle any missions that arise. You, and our sparkling, are more important to me than most of our missions these days anyway."

"Thank you, Optimus. I love you." She smiled and kissed him, not nearly as gently as he had kissed her earlier. "Where are we going?"

"It'll be a surprise."

* * *

"Where are we?" asked Arcee as she looked around the beach they walked onto as they exited the groundbridge.

"This place is called Wayward Island. It, as well as the other islands in this area, are shielded like our base."

"Why?"

"There is a Cybertronian rescue team stationed in a small town on one of the islands. You may remember when they landed a few years ago?" Optimus had stationed a team of four in the high-tech town of Griffon Rock, a place where vehicles that turn into robots would not be considered unusual.

"Yes, I remember them." Arcee looked around at beach they were currently standing on. "It's pretty here. No town on this island, right?"

"That's right." Optimus smiled down at her. "What would you like to do, now that you're out of the base?"

"Explore. Walk around. Drive really fast - can't do that one though." She stooped down to pick up a handful of sand. "Everything on Earth is so beautiful and strange. This is sand, but it feels different from the desert sand around Jasper. I bet Raf could tell us why."

"He probably could." Optimus was glad that Arcee was looking happier already. He took her hand and smiled at her. "Come, this island has a beach, a forest, and caves. Let's explore"

* * *

"Heatwave, come in"

"What is it, Boulder?"

"Sensors have registered a very large, distinctly Cybertronian, energy spike on Wayward Island. It's gone now, but it was there for approximately 20 seconds." Boulder had installed those sensors himself, so he knew they were functioning properly.

"I'll check it out. Send me the location."

"Ooh, can I come?" Cody loved to ride in Heatwave's boat mode. "Kade's busy today."

"Cody…."

"Please!"

"Ok, but it's reconnaissance only. And you have to follow all of my instructions." Heatwave was a sucker for Cody's puppy-dog eyes.

"Thanks, Heatwave!"

* * *

Heatwave bounced over the waves on their way to the island, making Cody squeal in excitement, but slowed to silence before transforming on the beach.

"Cybertronian footprints. Two sets." Heatwave noticed that they simply started in the middle of the beach. Cody hadn't been introduced to a groundbridge though, so he didn't mention it out loud.

"It looks like they walked into the trees," said Cody from his place inside Heatwave.

They followed the footprints into the forest and stopped as they neared a clearing. Whoever they were following was just ahead.

"Heatwave, is that…. Optimus?"

"Yes, I think it is."

"But...he's... kissing a girl robot!" Heatwave immediately tinted his windows, blocking Cody from the sight. "I didn't even know there were girls on your planet!"

"Yes, there are, they are called femmes, and we are leaving right now. They obviously came here for privacy." Heatwave silently headed back the way they had come, transformed into a boat, and headed back to Griffon Rock.

"Cody," he said right before they reached the island, "It might be best not to tell the others what you saw. I wouldn't want them to make Optimus uncomfortable at his next visit."

"Ok. Heatwave?"

"Yes?"

"I hope she makes him happy"

"Me too, Cody. Me, too."

* * *

"Thank you for bringing me here" said Arcee as they arrived back at the beach.

"You are welcome, my love. This will also be a safe place for our sparkling to spend time outside." He noticed the new footprints on the beach. "Although I might need to notify the local rescue team. It appears we had company."

"Why wouldn't they have let us know they….Oh." Arcee would have blushed, if she had the ability. "Yes, probably a good idea to let them know when we visit."

"Lets get you back to base, and I'll have a talk with them."

* * *

"Hello, Cody."

"What, Oh! Hi, Optimus." The deep voice of the autobot commander startled Cody.

"Do you know where the rest of the team is?"

"Clearing up a rockslide." He indicated the monitors in the command center.

"Do they require assistance?"

"No, they've got it. No one was hurt, they just have to get the rocks off the road."

"When they return, will you let Heatwave know I stopped by?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you, Cody." He turned to walk away, to a location where he could call for a groundbridge unseen.

"Hey Optimus?" Cody called out shyly.

"Yes, Cody?"

"I...I know Heatwave is going to send you a report later, but…." He paused. "We went to Wayward Island earlier today, he and I. To check out something Boulder saw on the sensors. We saw…. We saw you…. and a gir-a femme. I….I'm sorry for spying on you."

"Cody, you were not spying. You were investigating. I apologize for not notifying your family before my sparkmate and I visited the island." Optimus assured him that he had done nothing wrong.

"You're always welcome here, Optimus."

"Thank you, Cody." He smiled at the boy. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes." Cody wondered what kind of secret the Autobot leader could want to share with him.

"My sparkmate, Arcee, is expecting a sparkling - a baby. We visited Wayward Island because she can no longer transform, so she isn't able to leave our base. The islands here are shielded, so we knew we would be safe. Once the sparkling arrives, we will probably visit the island often, so it can experience being outside."

"That's so cool! I can't wait to see - is it a him or a her?"

"We do not know yet, but I am excited to meet him or her as well."

* * *

 **If you know someone on bedrest, in a hospital or at home, go visit them. Bring them brownies. And coloring books. And when they say they're fine and you don't have to, do it anyway.**


	4. Chapter 4

"She's beautiful." Arcee looked at her tiny daughter, amazed that this new little life came from her.

"You are both beautiful." Optimus would never tire of looking at his mate or his new daughter. The sparkling looked just like her mother, but her blue coloring was closer to his shade than Arcee's. She had only briefly opened her optics, but he had seen that they were crystal blue, like his.

"And they both need to rest." Ratchet attempted to get Optimus to leave the medbay, but the commander wasn't going anywhere.

"I will watch over them while you rest as well." Optimus wasn't about to leave Arcee's side. He didn't want to miss a moment with her or their daughter.

"Very well. But Arcee must rest. In a few hours, the others will arrive and realize what's happened. Then there will be visitors for the rest of the day." Ratchet turned to leave the new family alone in the medbay, then looked back to ask one question. "Have you decided on a name?"

The couple looked into each others optics for a long moment, then back at the doctor.

"Her name is Hope."

* * *

Optimus took the sparkling from Arcee's arms and sat beside her in the medbay. "You heard Ratchet. You need to rest."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"If I'm not, I'll call Ratchet." He was not nervous about being the only one awake with his new daughter, but he could tell that Arcee was nervous about leaving him that way.

"Or wake me." she said, then closed her optics. Soon she was fast asleep.

Optimus sat holding his newborn sparkling, still amazed that she even existed. She was so tiny - fitting in just one of his hands. Over the last several months, he had made multiple promises to himself. Now, he made them to her. He promised her love, happiness, protection. He wished that he could promise her peace, but he knew that promise would be broken. She was born into the middle of a war. She would likely be following him into battle sooner than he wanted her to, even if he forbade it. She was her mother's daughter after all, and his, too.

Hope opened her optics and stared up at her father. She reached out with one tiny hand, and he gave her a finger to grab. He smiled through the tears of happines in his optics. "I love you" he whispered softly to her.

* * *

Several hours later, Ratchet peeked into the medbay to check on his charges. Arcee and Hope were sleeping; Optimus was staring at the sparkling, deep in thought. He left them that way for now.

Roaring engines and squealing tires signaled the return of the children and their guardians to the base. The noise woke Arcee. Optimus handed Hope to her, then walked into the command center to greet the new arrivals.

"How's Arcee?" was Jack's immediate question, just as it had been every day for the past several months. Today, the answer was different though.

"Come and see" said Optimus.

Jack followed Optimus into the medbay, while Ratchet stopped Miko & Raf from going as well. The new father lifted him onto the berth, then stepped back while he walked up to his guardian.

"Wow." was all Jack could say as he stared at the tiny sparkling.

"That's pretty much how I feel too," said Arcee as she smiled at him.

"What's her name?"

"Hope."

"That is a great name for her."

"Thanks." Hope snuggled closer to Arcee, rubbing her optics before opening them to stare at her mother. Arcee smiled, losing herself in her sparkling's optics, so much like her father's.

"When you're ready," said Jack, "the others would like to meet her too."

Arcee looked at Optimus, who had positioned himself near the door to ensure his family wasn't disturbed. "Bumblebee should be next."

"Can I tell Miko and Raf about her?" asked Jack.

"Yes. They'll be able to come in and meet her later today."

* * *

Bumblebee's optics were wide as he walked into the medbay. Optimus took the sparkling from Arcee and placed her in Bumblebee's arms. "Her name is Hope."

Bumblebee clicked _Hello_ softly to Hope, then _Congratulations_ to Arcee. "Thank you" she said with a smile. He handed her back to her father, then ran to tell Raf all about the new sparkling.

Optimus looked after him. "I think he's happy not to be the youngest of the group anymore."

"I think you may be right."

* * *

One by one, each friend visited the new family and met Hope. They expressed congratulations, learned her name, and talked about how cute she was.

At the end of the day, after the children had left for home with their guardians, Arcee looked at Ratchet. "Please let us sleep in our own quarters tonight."

"All right," he said, "but only if you promise to call me if you need anything."

"We promise," Optimus answered. He helped Arcee off the berth, then took his daugher from Ratchet and brought his family home

* * *

Optimus and Arcee lay across from each other on their bed, with Hope lying between them. She made soft noises and waved her hands around, eventually ending up holding one of her mother's fingers in one hand, and her father's in the other. Her parents stared into each others optics, sharing feelings of love and happiness across their bond.

Once the sparkling had settled into sleep, Arcee picked her up and moved her into a crib attached to the side of the bed. As she laid back down in her mate's arms - her favorite place to sleep - she looked up at him. "Optimus?"

"Yes?"

"You were right. Despite how she was created, this is pretty close to perfect."

* * *

 **I won't declare it done - I've learned my lesson there. But this one doesn't have another chapter yet. This chapter was very difficult to write, with the next chapter of _Someday_ screaming at me to do it first :)**


End file.
